“No, it was insightful,” I mumbled, pushing aside the countless things I wanted to ask.
“I am happy to hear that. I will see you tomorrow. Fertile blessings, Emeline.” She disappeared.
I placed my tray in the removal box before grabbing my Comm Device, a gray wool jacket and gray bag, and leaving my living quarters. Any peace I had ever found there had been eradicated in one morning.
The elevator was full when it reached the ground level. In the Pods queue, I looked for Lo’s sunshine hair, but she wasn’t there. She had probably left early to avoid the looks and whispers that accompanied the stops at the medical building where our yearly was performed. It might be the only time the women around you showed any sign that they understood—that they knew what they took from you in those sterile rooms.
The morning sun ricocheted off the departing Pods as droves of gray clambered on. I stared at the tall stone wall across the street hiding what lay within. Unease stole the sun’s warmth at the large dented steel doors that never opened. In ten years I had never seen anyone go in or come out.
The Sanctuary—a place Minor Defect women and their offspring ended up if they could not maintain their composure or whatever the hologram had claimed Collin was assessing. Placed directly across the street from us, like the two Academy buildings: one an ever-present reminder of what was out of your reach, the other a looming threat of what was waiting should you fail. It was enough to leave us desperate and terrified.
A woman bumped into me, shuffling me along. I tore my eyes away as I scanned, scrambling to find a seat.
“Look,” one of the other Defects uttered. “She’s glowing.”
A golden glow lit up the Pod. I hastily tugged on my gray sleeve. Several Defects shot wary glances my way. I stared out the window, but even the city’s beauty didn’t mute their whispers about why it was gold and what that meant.
Their fervent looks followed me off the Pod. I didn’t stop for the sun’s rays as I hurried across the pavement that led to the Capitol’s entrance, my fingers curled tightly around the sleeve of my jacket, keeping it in place.
The doors opened as a low whistle ripped through the endless gray. I stopped at the base of the building, its unfathomable height looming over me. The whistle pierced the air again, and I turned to find a group of women in gray huddled close to a group of gray-clad men—some of the fraction of men who didn’t qualify for work in the clouds, running maintenance on the ground instead. One of the men stared at me, his face hateful as he whistled loudly, sending others in gray scuttling off.
The whistling came to an end, and in its silence my mind ran rampant.
The important part, the dangerous part, is that people are rising up.
I ducked my head, running toward the safety of my office. How many people were actually upset with the Illum?
I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Hal lounging in my chair. Only yesterday he had asked to come back, and I had agreed. With everything that had happened, it felt like forever ago.
“Morning, Moonlight,” he said, propping his legs on my desk.
“What did you say?” I scanned my wrist and the screens came to life. I leaned against the wall, willing my heart to slow.
He laced his hands behind his head. “I called you Moonlight.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Well, since I met you, I find myself watching the moon while I work.” Hal shot me one of his smiles that made his dimple appear.
“What does watching the moon have to do with me?”
“The moon rules our time, does it not?”
“It does.”
Hal raked a hand through his hair. “Since meeting you, you seem to rule mine.”
“Why?” I asked, my cheeks heating.
He chuckled. “You can’t just take the nickname? I just told you I think about you when you’re not around, and you need an explanation?”
I opened my mouth to reply when Hal grabbed something off my desk, something dusted in gold, and popped it into his mouth.
He hummed appreciatively, his starburst eyes alight. “These are delicious.”
I leaned over to see an entire box of gold-dusted chocolates. The same exact ones from last night. Another gift from Collin. Three were missing, as were my flowers. I shot a glare at Hal. “Where are my flowers?”
“Darnedest thing, they died. So I threw them out,” Hal said, eating another chocolate.
